One of Crichtons best I think. The suspense was great and the depth of the field covered is enormous but he explains it all very well as usual. Great read. ( )

Though not an example of his best writing, Crichton's Prey is an interesting and thought-provoking read. Prey echos back to one of Crichton's earlier works called The Andromeda Strain, which is (in my opinion) a much better book. ( )

This book was awesome, very hard to put down, kept me guessing until near the end, the action was always at a good speed. And like with most of his novels, there is a lot of interesting information in there as well. My only complaint was that towards the end, i didnt really care for the direction the story took, felt kind of rushed and went a little too far imo. ( )

Definitely one of Crichton's weaker entries. A lot of this novel, especially the ending unfortunately, was predictable. The usual punch in the face that Crichton provides when it comes to issues of science and ethics is also missing. Beyond the obvious Nanotechnology=bad, there's no deeper argument. Readable, but not a must read. ( )

Another great Michael Crichton novel. This book was very interesting as it delved into the area of nanotechnology. In today's world, where things that used to be all science fiction are now becoming a very real part of our daily lives, this story was suspenseful and frightening. ( )

In the Nevada desert an experiment has gone horribly wrong. A cloud of nanoparticles -- micro-robots -- has escaped from the laboratory. This cloud is self-sustaining and self-reproducing. It is intelligent and learns from experience. For all practical purposes, it is alive. It has been programmed as a predator. It is evolving swiftly, becoming more deadly with each passing hour. Every attempt to destroy it has failed. And we are the prey.

As fresh as today's headlines, Michael Crichton's most compelling novel yet tells the story of a mechanical plague and the desperate efforts of a handful of scientists to stop it. Drawing on up-to-the-minute scientific fact, 'Prey' takes us into the emerging realms of nanotechnology and artificial distributed intelligence -- in a story of breathtaking suspense. 'Prey' is a novel you can't put down. Because time is running out. ( )

I don't know much about nanotechnology. I have no way of knowing if this book was even remotely in the realm of possible. I would imagine it was, since Michael Crichton was always very good about that. I enjoyed this book much more than I thought I would. When a book focuses on a topic I am completely clueless about, I worry that I'm not going to be able to follow the plot even if the topic is dumbed down for me. I was pleasantly surprised to find that I could enjoy the thriller without constantly having to wonder what the hell they were talking about. ( )

Only Michael Crichton could make a book about nanotechnology interesting. The end was a little more 'other-worldly' than I might have liked but, all in all, a good read. ( )

I really enjoyed this book once I got into it. It may not be the books fault, I was in Paris for the first time. I don't know why I haven't read more Michael Crichton. I always enjoy each book. ( )

Nanocloud nasty.

A science company working on nanotechnology has a problem, because of some corner cutting and the other usual corporate dodginess despite some critical advice they have a nano-organism released into the wild, and it is not a big fan of the humans that created it.

A horror novel situation from there pretty much as they try and stop it and stay alive.

http://notfreesf.blogspot.com/2007/11... ( )

Nanotechnology creates a swarm of particles capable of invading and imitating human life and the human race is at risk. Crichton's story is a nice piece of suspense writing, smoothly paced and exciting. Recommended for those who like technological suspense. ( )

A technological thriller at its finest. A group of experts find nanomachines that just happen to be killing people. What follows is their attempt at shutting these machines down before they can do more harm. Crichton continues to show us that technology comes with a price and we need to be careful with what we invent. ( )

Crichton's early books were very good, the later ones not so much. This is one of the later ones. While not as bad as Next, the characters in this book are not as compelling. The science is not very believable either. For good Crichton books, read Travels or Case of Need (both non-fiction). Read this book a few years ago. ( )

A mid-career, Silicon Valley couple is having marital issues. The husband lost his job for raising ethical questions, and suddenly he's the one being blackballed. His wife is working late hours every day, is becoming a stranger to her kids, and resents that her husband has not yet got back to work and accuses him of undermining her authority at home. He starts to believe she is having an affair...the signs appear unmistakable. Then he gets a phone call from his former company...they want him back as a consultant to fix something that went horribly wrong with one of his former projects. And the client happens to be his wife's company, and immediately he is dispatched to a fabrication plant in the desert where the company has seemingly overcome the problem of creating nanobots in quantity.

At this point, the novel moves into the Sci-fi techno-horror realm as the nanobots escape, evolve, and learn. Creighton, as was his wont, displays a terrific grasp on the state of technology, as well as current issues and challenges employing it. There are no less than 5 pages of bibliography at the end, but Creighton keeps the science accessible (likely artificially so). It's been a long time since I've blown through a 500-page book in just two days, and even longer since finding the task so effortless. The story is recent enough that technology portrayed doesn't come off as already obsolete...a frequent problem with this type of story. ( )

This book kept me on my toes. Crichton has a way to put fear into his readers hearts.. Though it was pretty obvious how teh book would turn out, I couldn't stop reading until iwas finished!

Synopsis: Jack is now the care taker of his family after losing his job as writing computer codes. His wife works at Xymos, a lab in the Nevada desert that is developing nonoparticles - micro-machines. Jack suspects his wife Julia of having an affair. Something goes wrong at the lab and a swarm of nanoparticles escaped. The swarm is able to learn from experiences and seems to be self sustained and reproducing. Jack is called in to inspect the PREDPREY code that was used with the nanoparticles. When he gets to the lab, the team is acting secretive and the job is much more deadly than Jack suspected.

Pros & Cons: The book is suspenseful, intelligent, and engaging. It seems to follow the typical Crichton formula: A big corporation does something that can be harmful to the population, an unsuspecting character has the knowledge to solve the problem and save the day while exposing the corporation, the scenarios seem like they can actually happen. Crichton is an excellent story teller, and although I enjoyed this book, I liked it less than some of his other books. The ending felt rushed and did not seem to fit with the flow of the rest of the story. Recommended for Crichton fans and those who enjoy thrillers ( )

I really like the idea of something man-made and tiny threatening humanity, but there were a few things that didn't quite add up in my head. Also, it wasn't quite as scary as I think it could have been. ( )

Very interesting book. Story keeps moving along with ease even through the technical information. It still makes the hair on my arms stand up with a think of how easily we could screw up and threaten so many people. ( )

I hated this book so much. Crichton writes well, but he knows nothing about software or nanotech. However, it's his sexism which really makes this (and many of his other book) so bad. I only read it because I received it free, and now I regret reading it. ( )

Prey is a novel that talks about how nano-technology is used by a company to create tiny cameras for the military. On the outset this is harmless except that these cameras are programmed to learn from their past mistakes. This makes them dangerous and imperative to the scientists and programmers to finish them off as soon as possible. But there are more hassles than anyone bargained for.

An excellent read for anyone who like science fiction and has dabbled in science sometime at school. ( )

The Michael Crichton Anti-Technology Play-Book™ is pretty set. It goes like this: (a) find some type of technology that is scary, (b) have a reckless company dabble in this technology without any kind of safety protocol, and (c) have a virtuous hero who vainly warned of the potential troubles ahead of time save everyone's bacon in the end.

Prey follows this script pretty closely. The scary technology is nanotechnology. The reckless corporation is Xymos. The virtuous hero is Jack Forman, and although he doesn't warn of the dangers of this technology ahead of time, he makes up for it by realizing how dangerous it is right away, even though no one else seems to be able to without his help. He is also made to seem even more virtuous because his wife works at Xymos and was the one who authorized the reckless experiments. She is also cheating on him, just in case you didn't figure out that she was a bad person.

The nanotechnology story itself is fairly well-done, and the protagonist's efforts to control the rapidly evolving swarm makes for an interesting and exciting plot. However, Crichton's heavy-handed moralizing about evil corporate greed and the obviously reckless and foolish behavior of the corporate officers detracts from the impact of the book. If the story had a little less of that, it would have been a lot better. As it is, it is only a modestly entertaining diversion. ( )

The paperback cover quotes the New York Times Book review in part "Terrifying . . .irresistibly suspenseful." Indeed, the story Michael Crichton spins has elements of terror and at times the suspense grabs hold of the reader and does not let go.
A tale of science run amuck on the tracks of greed and stupidity. Crichton mixes an old formula with new science.

The finish is written as if the Crichton has a deadline to meet. Definitely, unsatisfying for a Michael Crichton read.

Fortunately, for the reader, a bad Crichton book is better than most other authors seem able to generate on a good day.

Reduce your expectations and the book will be satisfying. ( )

Prey is an extremely thrilling read about what can happen when cutting-edge science is applied by the military without regards to possible consequences. In Prey, nano-technology is utilised to create a swarm of deadly micro-robots. These robots are able to reproduce, survive on solar power and have a kind of hive-mind, allowing them to become one of the deadliest predators mankind has encountered. This is a very scary novel and I couldn't put it down. I highly recommend reading it. ( )

Typical Crichton novel, based upon building a thrilling story around a current scientific topic. This time it's nanotechnology and the dangers inherent therein. Educational and entertaining read. ( )

Cliched tale of technology gone awry. Two-dimensional characterisation doesn’t help. ( )